Many types of disposable absorbent softgoods products are being used in the marketplace today. These products include disposable baby and adult diapers, underpads or hospital bed pads, catamenial devices and surgical dressings and wipes. Their main function is to absorb and retain fluids. These products are frequently constructed with a nonwoven cover sheet, an absorbent center section and a water impermeable backing sheet. The absorbent medium can be tissue wadding or fluff pulp fiber. To achieve the necessary absorbency with such products, large quantities of the absorbent medium are needed which results in a bulky finished product. There are several disadvantages resulting from the bulkiness of these products. For example, they require large amounts of space for storage, both by the producer and the distributors or user whether it is a retail establishment or a hospital; shipping costs are high due to the large volume per item; and in the case of diapers and catamenial devices, the bulkiness causes discomfort for the user.
In the last few years certain hydrocolloidal polymers have been developed which have the ability to absorb large quantities of liquids including, e.g., body fluids. The use of these polymers in disposable softgoods products offers advantages. When used in disposable softgoods products, these materials result in better absorbency thereby permitting reduction in the bulk of the disposable product by allowing the manufacturer to decrease the amount of cellulose wadding or fluff pulp in the disposable product. Also, since they generally possess greater affinity for liquid than does cellulosic material, these polymer materials retain the fluid better in a disposable product under pressure. Thus, disposable softgoods products containing the hydrocolloidal polymers show better performance when pressure is applied to them than is the case with the cellulosic product. This is exemplified when a patient lies on an underpad or a child sits or otheerwise places pressure on a disposable diaper.
However, there are problems related to the use of the hydrocolloid polymers in disposable products. For example, it has been found that when hydrocolloidal polymers, especially in powder form, are added to disposable softgoods, the polymers are dusty during application and sift in the finished product. The sifting of the hydrocolloidal particles takes place during the manufacture, handling, storage, and use of the article. This results in the particles sifting or migrating away from the useful portions of the finished disposable softgoods product. Also, when certain hydrocolloidal polymers have absorbed liquid they become slippery or slimy. This can cause premature failure of the product and also give an undesirable appearance and feel to the product in use. It is, therefore, advantageous to contain the liquid-absorbing polymer in the proper location in the finished disposable softgoods product.